Needle control mechanism for knitting machines



Aug. 11, 1931.

w. D. BUTZ 1,818,113

NEEDLE- CONTROL MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 20, 1929 WI TNESS ES TTORNEYS.

Aug. 11, 1931. w, Bu'rz 1,818,113

NEEDLE CONTROL MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES FiledMay 20. 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG .ZIZ

IN VEN TOR:

WITNES ES I 221mm Dfiuig W a; I 31 W A TTORNEY S.

Aug. 11, 1931. w. D. BUTZ 1,318,113

NEEDLE CONTROL MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed May 20, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet s I IIII WITNESSES ijwid INVENTOR- BY W ATTORNEYS.

FICFZ WALTER D. BUTZ, 0F NORRISTOVVN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNCR OF ONE-HALF TO LOUIS N. D. VJILLIAIIIS, OF PARK, PENNSYLVANIA NEEDLE CONTRQL MEGEIINISIVI FUR KNITTING MACHINES Application filed May 20,

This invention r lates to mechanism for controlling the needles of knitting machines to produce ornamental and other efi'ects, more particularly, incident to fashioning operations, for example: during knitting of heel and toe pockets of seamless stockings to form. along the diagonal fashioning sutures characteristic of such hosiery, par allel lines of tuck stitches. This application may be considered, in part, as a com panion to another application bearing a corresponding title, Serial Number 336,686, filed by me on February 1, 1929.

My present invention is directed towarc enabling formation of lines of demarcation, i. e., of tuck stitches during narrowing of the knitted web, as well as during widening after the manner disclosed in the companion application above referred to. I moreover aim to attain this desideratum, though provision of simple and inexoensive auxiliary needle control mechanism capable of cooperating in an auxiliary capacity with the usual fashioning instrumentalities of standard ma iines.

In the drawings, Fig. I shows the foot of a seamless stocking having lines of demarcation on its toe produced with my novel mechanism.

so Fig. II is a diagrammatic view, on a larger scale, showing the development of the stocking toe.

Fig. III is a plan view of the cam ring of a typical seamless hosiery knitting machine equipped with my novel needle control mechanism.

Fig. IV is a sectional view, taken as indicated by the arrows IVIV in Fig. III.

Fig. V is a fragmentary detail sectional view, taken as indicated by the arrows VV in Fig. IV.

. development of the snowin the operative relation of is i the cams during narrowing f tr e L08 pocket and the manner in which ined needles are controlled for g in accordance with my invention. 5. VII, VIII and IX, are fragmentary diagrammatic views, similar to Fig. IV,

1929. Serial IIO. 364,370.

showing successive steps incident to the control of predetermined needles for tucking.

The stocking partly depicted in Fig. I is of the seamless variety such as are made on circular knitting machines, that is to say: it is knit tubular throughout and has heel and toe pockets H, T, respectively, with the usual diagonal fashioning sutures S, S. A distinction will however be noted in that the toe T of the stocking, at opposite sides has lines of demarcation L which are co-extensive with and lie parallel to the diagonal fashioning sutures S, the effect being produced by tucking upon selected needles at predetermined uniform distances from the changing end needles during narrowing of the toe pocket. For a clearer understanding of the toe pocket formation, I have diagrammatically illustrated, in Fig. II, the result of the successive narrowing and widening phases of the knitting, the lines of tuck stitches in the narrowed half being designated by the letter L. Generally sneaking, the cam ring shown in Figs. III, VI, VII, VIII and IX, is of standard design and construction in that it comprises left and right hand stitch drawing cams 11, 12, top and bottom center cam 13, 14., side cams 15, 16, a pair of lifting pickers 17, 18, a de pressing picker 19, and a switch cam 20. This switch cam 20 is swingable up and down, as well as in and out, in the known manner to raise the lon butt needles, inclicated by heavy lines N in Figs. VIIX, on the one hand in preparation for fashioning of the heel and toe pockets II, T by the short butt needles indicated by the light lines N, and on the other hand, to restore the long butt needles N to activity at the completion of said heel and toe ookets. The lifting pickers 17, 18, are swivelly mounted after common practice for capacity to swing horizontally, and are subject to guidance by fixed cams 21, 22 (Fig. III) which determine upward movement at opposing complementary inclinations and raising of the short butt needles N successively from the active to the idle level, for fashioning purposes during reciprocatory knitting, in a manner well understood in this art. The

lifting pickers 17, 18 are moreover connected for coordinated operation by means of a link 23, see F1 Ill. The depressing D, 1 picker 19 is supported with capacity for unive sal motion and is guided by a double winged cam Q-l (Figs. Ill and TV) which predetermines downward movement at op posing inclinations in restoring the short butt fashioning needles N to the active level during the widening of the heel and toe pockets H, T.

To produce the tuck lines L in parallelism with the sutures S during widening in accordance with my present invention, one or more of the short butt needles N at a predeterminedly uniform distance from changneedles of the inactive group, are alternately moved out of action temporarily during reciprocatory knitting of successive fabric courses. This selective function is performed by a pair of auxiliary pickers which are indicated at 9/5, 26, in Figs. Ill, VI and VII, and shown as asso ciated respectively with the usual lifting pickers 17, 18. Like the lifting pickers 17,

'18, the auxiliary pickers 26 are s ivelly mounted (Fig. UT) and guided in a similar manner during horizontal swinging by stationary cams 27, 28 Fig. III. to elevate selected needles from the active to the idle or tucking level. The ends of the auxiliary pickers 25, 26 are moreover shaped differently from those of the regular pickers 17, 18 in that they are substantially square in cross section, and, in the present instance just broad enough to engage one needle at a time. lormally, the auxiliary lifting pickers Q3, 26 are uin'lertravelled by the butts of all the needles N, N; but during narrowing of the stocking toe, the short butt needles N at the active level are slightly elevated as they approach the stitch cams 11, 12 from opposite directions, by 1. pair of vertically slidable supplemental lifting cams 2.9, 30, so that said needles are caused to travel '7 above the auxiliary pickers 25, 26, as shown pro red to t in Fig. Y1. Any suitable means may be employed to slide the cams Q9, 30, into operative position in proper timed relation with other coordinated functions of the knitting cycle. The operation of the auxiliary pickers is brought about through linke connections 31, with the usual lifting pickers 17, 18.

The parts described up to this point are identical with those in my co-pei'iding coinpanion application supra, and I will now lescribe the new adjunctive features by which the aims of the present invention are realized. Referring now to Figs. Hi and IV, I mount on one end of the axis 33 for the depressing picker 19, a collar 34; having a single tooth for cooperation with a detent 36. This detent 36 is fulerumed at 3? on the picker bracket 38, and

has an arm 39 which is pivot-ally engaged with a plunger l0 having guidance for vertical reciprocation in said bracket. The plunger $0 is yieldingly urged downward by action of a spring ll upon a rearwardly projecting finger of the detent 36, and its lower end passes down through an opening l3 in the bed plate 4% of the machine into the path of a cam (see Fig. V) recessed into the bevel gear by which the needle cylinder t? of the machine is driven. As shown in Figs. HI and IV, the finger d2 of the detent 3c underlies a lateral projection l8 at the top of a vertical slide rod i9 which may be governed by the cam drum (not shown) of the machine for a purpose later on explained herein.

The operation of my invention is as follows: Let it be assumed that the stocking has been knit down through the leg, the heel and foot, to the line 0:, 7 in Fig. 11, and that narrowing for the toe T is about to commence with only the short butt needles N in operation. At this time the supplemental lifting cams 29, 30 are raised in preparation from the normal inactive dotted line positions of Fig. VI to the full line positions, and the rod 49 lifted to release the detent 36 to the action of the cam on the gear wheel 46. As the needle cylinder of the machine travels in the direction of the arrow in Fig. VI during the reciprocatory knitting which follows, it will be seen that the active short butt needles N will be raised slightly by the cam 29 so as to travel above the auxiliary picker \Vhen the leading right hand end needle 50 encounters the lifting picker 17, it will carry the latter along and will be at the same time elevated to the inactive level in the known manner. Concurrently with this action, the auxiliary lifting picker 25 operates to lift a predetermined needle 51 further along in the active group to the upper or tucking level. in company with the leading needle 50, after the manner illustrated in Fig. VII. lViith continued advance of the needle cylinder in the direction indicated by the arrow, the needle 51 raised by the auxiliary picker 25, will obviously pass with the idle needles over the top of the knitting cams at the tucking level while the other active needles follow the course prescribed by the knitting cams 13, 12 and 16, to form fabric loops. Just prior to the time that the gap in the inactive group of needles reaches the depressing picker 19, the cam 45 on the gear Wheel 46 elevates the plunger 40, therebv withdrawing the detent 86 from beneath the tooth35 of the collar 3 and permitting said depressing picker 19 to rise under the influence of its usual spring (not shown) in readiness to arrest the tucking needle 51 previously raised by the auxiliary picker 25, as shown in Fig. VIE, as a consequence of which ins said needle 51 will be again restored to the active group, as shown in Fig. IX, after the current movement of the needle cylinder is completed.

Immediately after the depressing picker l9has performed the just described function the detent 36 slips back, into the position of Fig. IV, to hold said picker temporarily in the inactive position. During the succeeding reverse movement of the needle cylinder, the other auxiliary picker 26 will function to elevate a selected needle at a corresponding predetermined distance from the leading left hand needle 53 of the active group to raise such selected needle precisely as described in connection with the operation of the auxiliary picker 25, this operation being attended by functioning of the depressing picker 19 also precisely as before. Thus for each course of the reciprocatory knitting during the narrowing phase, a needle at a predetermined distance from the end needles of the active short butt series N is thrown out of action first at one side and then at the other and, after having passed over the knitting cams at tucking level is again restored to action by the depressing picker 19. As a result of so temporarily idling selected neighboring needles within the ranks of the active needles, it follows that tuck stitches are produced along lines parallel with the fashioning sutures S in the narrowed halves of the toe pocket T. Upon completion of the narrowing phase of the toe pocket knitting, the supplemental cams 29, 30 are again withdrawn so as to be out of the way during the succeeding widening phase during which time the detent 36 is held retracted by the projection 48 on the rod 49 to permit the depressing picker l9 tofunction in the normal way; or, if tuck lines L (Figs. I and II) are to be made during such widening, the supplemental cams 29, 30 are permitted to remain active when the operation proceeds exactly as explained in my companion application. Thus with my present invention it is possible to produce parallel tuck lines at either or both sides of the usual diagonal sutures in the toe T. If desired, the heel pocket H may of course be similarly characterized or embellished with the tuck lines by like operation of the auxiliary control instrumentalities during the corresponding phases of the knitting.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. The combination with a knitting machine equipped with a series of needles and instrumentalities for removing end needles successively from action to narrow the fabric incidental to reciprocatory knitting; of concurrently-operative mechanism including means to select needles at a predetermined distance from the end needles of the series for special action during knitting of current courses of the narrowing.

2. The combination with a knitting machine equipped with a series of needles and instrumentalities for successively removing end needles from action to narrow the fabric incidental to reciprocatory knitting; of concurrently-operative mechanism including means for selecting needles at a predetermined distance from the end needles of the series for tucking during knitting of current courses of the narrowing.

3. The combination with a knitting machine equipped with a series of needles, and lifting pickers for successively removing end needles from action to narrow the fabric incidental to reciprocatory knitting; of auxiliary pickers to raise selected needles at a predetermined distance from the end needles of the series to tucking level during knitting of current courses of the narrowing, and means for again restoring the selected needles to activity before completion of such fabric courses.

4. The combination with a knitting ma-' chine equipped with a series of needles, lifting pickers for removing end needles successively from action to narrow the fabric incidental to reciprocatory knitting, and a depressing picker; of auxiliary lifting pickers to raise selected needles at a predetermined distance from the end needles of the series to tucking level during knitting of current courses of the fabric, and means controlling operation of the depressing picker aforesaid to efiect restoration of the selected needles to activity before completion of such fabric courses. 7

5. The combination wlth a knitting malifting pickers for removing end needles successively from action incidental to narrowing the fabric by rcciprocatory knitting, and a depressing picker; of auxiliary lifting pickers to raise selected needles at a predetermined distance from the end needles to the tucking level, means normally holding the depressing picker idle, and means for tripping said holding means, thereby to release the depressing reciprocation of the machine and permit it to restore needles selected for tucking as aforesaid to activity at the completion of the respective courses of the narrowing.

6. The combination with a knitting machine equipped with a series of needles and instrumentalities for removing end needles and subsequently reinstating them incidental to reciprocatory knitting to narrow and widen the fabric; of concurrently-operative mechanism including auxiliary instrumentalities to select needles at a predetermined distance from the end needles of the series for special action during knitting picker during each chine equipped with a series of needles, 1.

demarcation parallel to the diagonal sutures characteristic of seamless hosiery.

8. The combination with a circular stocklng knitting machine equipped with a series "of needles and instrumcntalitics for removing end needles successively from action incidental to narrowing of heel and toe pockets by reciprocatory knitting; of concurrently-operatiw'e mechanism including auxiliary instrumentalities to select needles at a predetermined distance from the .end needles for tucking during knitting of current courses of the narrowing with production in the finished pockets of lines of demarcation parallel to the diagonal sutures characteristic of seamless hosiery.

9. The combination with a circular stock ing knitting machine equipped with a series not needles, and a cylinder therefor, a depressing picker, and elevating pickers for removing end needles successively from action in *idental to narrowing of iliGGl and toe pockets by ,reciprocatory knitting; of auxiliary picker means to raise selected needles at a predetermined distance from the end needles to tucking level during knitting of current courses of the narrowing, means normally holding the depressing picker idle, and means rotating with the needle cylinder for tripping said holding means, thereby to release the depressing picker during each reciprocation of the machine and permit it :to restore needles selected for tucking as aforesaid to activity at the completion out the respective-courses of the narrowing with production in the finished pockets of lines ofdemarcation in parallelism with the diagonal sutures characteristic of seamless hosiery.

10. Thecombination with acircular stocking knitting machine equipped with a series of needles and instrumenta itics for remov- -ng end needles and subsequently reinstating them incidental to .reciprocatory knitting to fashion the heel and toe pockets; of concurrently-operative auxiliary instrumentalities to select needles at a predetermined distance from the end needles of the series for special action during reciprocatory knitting with production of parallel lines of demarcation at each side of the diagonal sutures characteristic of seamless hosiery.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name at Philadelphia, Pennsyl- Vania, this 16th day of May, 1929.

\VALTER D. BUTZ. 

